The 1980 republican primary debates: The transformation of actor to scene

Abstract

Using a Burkeian perspective, the authors focus on the six debates during the 1980 Republican primary and argue that Ronald Reagan was transformed from actor to scene via two strategies: (1) “featuring” in verbal and visual “frames,” and (2) “thematic envelopment” of the other candidates. By “creative circumferencing,” Reagan extended the scene of the debates to include the whole sweep of American history and encouraged his audiences to equate his election with the election of the American Dream.